Exploring the Small Coves of Pembrokeshire by Foot

Why the Pembrokeshire coves are best explored on foot

Pembrokeshire’s coastline is a patchwork of rocky headlands, secret sandy bays and old harbour villages. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path runs for 186 miles from Amroth to St Dogmaels, and it is the thread that links them. By car you see a car park and a view. On foot you hear the choughs, smell the gorse and arrive at a cove the way it has always been reached: over the cliff, down a set of steps and onto sand that may hold nothing but oystercatcher prints. This is a coastline for slow travel, and the rewards are greatest when you give it a full day rather than an hour.

Plan around the tide, the bus and the weather

Walking here is straightforward, but a little planning turns a good day into a great one.

• Tides: Several coves and crossing points are tidal. Check a local tide table before descending to Traeth Llyfn or walking the base of cliffs. A falling tide is your friend; a rising one can trap you.
• Buses: Seasonal coastal bus services let you walk one way and ride back. They are popular in summer, so check times before setting out and have a backup plan.
• Footwear: Paths are well trodden but steep in places. Grippy shoes or light boots are better than smooth-soled trainers, especially after rain.
• Weather: Sea fog and sudden showers are common. Carry a waterproof, even in July. Wind on exposed headlands can be fierce.
• Water and cash: Some village shops and pubs are seasonal and may close early. Take water and a little cash for honesty boxes and cafés.

A north coast classic: Porthgain to Abereiddy and the Blue Lagoon

Start at Porthgain, a tiny harbour built for exporting slate and crushed stone. The old hoppers and lime kilns still stand, and the village pub serves hearty food. From here the coast path climbs past ruined brickworks to Traeth Llyfn, a dramatic beach reached by a steep metal staircase. Check the tide before you go down; at high water the sand shrinks to almost nothing.

Continue south to Abereiddy, where a dark pebble beach sits beside the Blue Lagoon, a flooded slate quarry with water the colour of a deep gemstone. It is popular with coasteerers and divers, but early morning or evening you may have it to yourself. The return to Porthgain is about 2.5 miles, or roughly 4 kilometres, with a few stiff pulls. Allow two to three hours with stops.

Southern secrets: Stackpole, Barafundle and Manorbier

In the south, the coast softens into limestone cliffs and broad sandy bays. From Stackpole Quay, a one-mile walk leads to Barafundle Bay, often described as one of Britain’s finest beaches. There are no facilities, no lifeguards and no easy road access: you carry everything in and everything out. The steps down are steep, but the reward is a crescent of pale sand backed by dunes and pine trees.

Nearby, Broad Haven South and the lily ponds offer gentler walking, while Manorbier combines a sandy beach, a Norman castle and a church within a few hundred yards. The path from Manorbier to Tenby is longer, around five miles, and passes through charmingly named coves such as Swanlake and Waterwynch. It is a fine introduction to Pembrokeshire’s maritime layering: medieval defences, Victorian bathing resorts and working farms all within sight of the sea.

Wildlife and iron-age headlands

The headlands are not just viewpoints. Many are ancient strongholds. Dinas Head, between Fishguard and Newport, carries the earthworks of an iron-age promontory fort. A circular walk of about 2.5 miles takes you over the neck of the headland and back along the cliffs. In spring, the slopes are thick with bluebells and sea campion; in summer, you may see choughs tumbling on the updraughts, their red bills and black wings unmistakable.

Elsewhere, Atlantic grey seals haul out on remote beaches, especially in autumn when pups are born. Bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises are regularly spotted from St Davids Head and the Ramsey Sound. Seabirds crowd the cliffs at Ceibwr and Cwm-yr-Eglwys in early summer: guillemots, razorbills, fulmars and kittiwakes. Bring binoculars and keep your distance, particularly around seal pups.

Seaside breaks with a maritime flavour

Pembrokeshire’s villages grew from fishing, smuggling and stone. In Solva, narrow streets tumble down to a tidal harbour where boats lean on the mud at low water. In Lower Fishguard, the old quay and brightly painted houses recall a herring trade that once reached the Mediterranean. St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, has a cathedral that seems to rise from a hollow, and a coast path that leads to coves such as Porth Clais and Caerfai.

For a seaside break, base yourself in one of these villages and walk a section of the coast path each day. A short break of three or four nights is enough to sample the north coast’s industrial ruins, the south’s sandy bays and the west’s wild headlands. Eat fresh crab, drink local ale, and let the tide set your timetable. The coves of Pembrokeshire are not destinations to tick off; they are places to return to, season after season, always by foot.